Cody Wayland shown here creating a leg for a custom table in his shop at Wayland Constructive.
Cody Wayland likes working with wood that has a story to tell. That’s why he, as the owner of Wayland Constructive, a creative full-circle woodworking shop with its own sawmill, is excited about Jefferson Land Trust’s vision to purchase the forested ridge above Chimacum in 2023 and transform it into a community forest that works for the benefit of our local community.
A full circle custom woodworking shop, Wayland Constructive makes custom furniture, like the light fixtures above.
Wayland Constructive is our newest “Save the Land” partner, joining the Resort at Port Ludlow, Finnriver Farm and Cidery, the Food Co-Op, Chimacum Corner Farmstand, Better Properties Tri-Counties, and Doug Remy at Fairway Independent Mortgage in donating a portion of their profits to Jefferson Land Trust throughout the year.
Cody learned about Jefferson Land Trust by being out and about in the community. “Everywhere I looked I saw a connection — our kids attend the Waldorf School at Sunfield Farm, we shop at the Food Co-Op, and we spend time at Finnriver. Then, when I learned about the Chimacum Ridge project, I saw a deeper connection and some exciting possibilities.”
Cody reached out to the Land Trust’s Stewardship Director Erik Kingfisher to begin a conversation about collaborating to further the Jefferson Land Trust mission. Cody asked about the potential of keeping at least some of the trees harvested from the community forest in Port Townsend and producing custom-cut and kiln-dried lumber packages for the local community. Passionate about helping to create a local “slow wood” market, Cody’s interested in creating a transparent lumber product that allows people to understand the full story of what they’re supporting with their patronage.
With his own small sawmill, Cody is able to custom cut wood for projects.
While he realizes that not everyone can or will want to pay a premium for wood grown and milled locally, Cody believes that some may.
“While it’s not as efficient as the standard for-profit logging model, buying wood from a forest managed with the mission and foresight of a nonprofit like Jefferson Land Trust makes sense to me. I liken it to shopping at the Farmers Market, where you know who grew the fresh food you’re eating and the selection inspires the meal. Slow food. Slow wood. It’s on a much smaller scale and, without the clear-cut, trucking, and plastic wrap, has a much smaller carbon footprint.”
Cody envisions custom cutting local lumber for the focal point of a home — exposed beams or rafters, wood ceilings, or a wood wall — or building a table, sun room, or light fixture for someone using trees from the community forest above Chimacum. Then, to celebrate the completion of the project, joining his client at Finnriver to enjoy a glass of cider while looking up at the ridge where the wood grew.
“The best thing about that scenario is, rather than having a bare ridge above us, it still looks beautiful with the forest there for everyone, including wildlife, to enjoy for generations. It’s such a positive story.”
This barn on Marrowstone Island was in need of some work. The owners hired Wayland Constructive to use trees on the same property to make the repairs.
Cody and his wife Lindsey — an artist and calligrapher who facilitates art and poetry therapy with adolescents in residential treatment and is a faculty member at Port Townsend School of the Arts — have lived in Port Townsend for six years. They have three children, ages four, seven, and nine.
Like Lindsey, Cody studied art in college. While he appreciates all art, he’s found that he gains satisfaction creating the functional. “This preference for the practical led to more and more woodworking and fine carpentry. In fact, my college thesis was actually a collection of handmade wooden ladders.”
Cody, who can’t remember a time when he didn’t love working with wood, has a vivid memory of being eight or nine in a class at school. The students were given a piece of wood and a chisel and then used them to carve spoons.
In his projects, Cody’s favorite thing to do is build stories. Often this starts with someone’s tree — maybe one that blew down in a windstorm or is too close to a house and needs to come down. He’ll then custom cut the tree and fashion it into something the customer wants, for instance a bed or a sauna.
The barn on Marrowstone Island after the project, with its new floor, roof, and huge sliding barn doors.
Cody recently completed such a project on Marrowstone Island. His clients had an old barn that needed some help. Together, they were able to identify a few trees from the property that Cody milled in Port Townsend then used to restore the barn.
“We poured a concrete slab, cut out and repaired the areas where the wood had rotted, put on a new roof, and built some great big sliding barn doors to create a beautifully functional indoor/outdoor space. We gave that barn another 100 years using wood from their own property.”
Don’t have a tree? Cody can find the right one by salvaging something to reuse or by purchasing trees that are coming down due to a new building project. Have a tree without a need? Donate it and Wayland Constructive will find a use for it somewhere in the community, and all profit from your tree will go to Jefferson Land Trust.
Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, he’ll be getting trees from our community forest. You can contact Wayland Constructive to get on Cody’s pre-order list.
